A Few Tips
intro + tips Each of the statements made are rooted in a few years of nagging my mother, watching my grandmother and inhaling their food. Although I am certainly not an expert, my many trips to Taiwan and failed attempts at cooking have provided me with enough background to at least write this post. a few basic tips * Stir-Fry requires a solid carbon steel wok. * Season your wok before its first use. * Stir-Fry's Require High Heat: Heat to the point where the oil is barely smoking. * Cut/Prepare all components ahead of time. Have them ready on a plate. * Cook each component separately, especially when using a conventional stove. * When combining the components into a final stir-fry, do it in smaller, 1-2 portion batches. * When cooking at a higher heat, add sauces right before you plan to turn the heat off. * Use Corn Starch for thickening. Mix with a small amount of water before adding to wok. * Chinese food is all about timing and controlling the heat. Everything is cooked in a wok and as such, takes many years to get right. the basic chinese sauces * Light Soy * Soy Paste * Black Vinegar * Szechuan Chili Flakes * Black Bean Paste * Taiwanese BBQ Sauce * Hot Oil * Chili Bean Sauce * White Pepper * MSG * Sesame Oil recipes Recipe 1: Shrimp with Edamame 'Ingredients: ' * 1 part Unpeeled, whole, large prawns * 1 part Edamame * 1 part Green Onion cut into 1” chunks. * A few garlic cloves. * A couple tablespoons of oil * Sauce: ** 4 tbsp. chicken stock ** 2 parts dark soy ** 1 part rice wine vinegar ** 1 part corn starch ** 1 part honey ** A few Szechuan chili flakes Heat one tablespoon of oil in wok until nearly smoking. Add in & fry edamame and green onions in wok on high heat until browned / almost cooked through and remove from the pan onto a clean plate. Add another dash of oil to the pan, waiting until fully heated before adding the whole prawns until they begin to turn pink. Once pink, add the garlic and the edamame + green onion mixture back into the shrimps. Turn down the heat to low and fry the completed mixture for another 30 seconds or so. Mix sauce beforehand and add the mixed sauce into the wok. Let the sauce simmer for a minute and then remove the contents from the wok. Recipe 2: Steamed Trout Ingredients: * 1 whole small-medium sized trout (Found at winco for $4.99/lb) * A few stalks of green onions or scallions. * Sauce: ** 2 tbsp. chicken stock ** 1 tbsp. finely chopped ginger ** 1 tbsp. soy paste ** 1 tbsp. light soy ** 1/2 tbsp. Chili bean sauce ** 1/2 tbsp. black bean sauce ** 1 tbsp. hot oil ** 1 tbsp. honey Chop green onions into very fine ~1/8” pieces. Clean trout and place into a sufficiently large pan. Combine sauce beforehand and add to the pan. Once the trout and sauce are in the pan, turn on the heat to medium/low, cover and wait 9 minutes (or until fish is almost flaky and moist). Add the green onions and cover for an additional 2 minutes. Place the whole trout on a plate and serve. Category:Life Tips